The present invention pertains to a tool useful to install stakes or other kinds of fasteners into a substrate so as to retain another member to the substrate. More specifically, the invention pertains to a tool useful to install a stake (or other fastener) into a substrate (such as, for example, earth strata) to retain another member such as, for example, a piece of sod, an erosion control blanket, a seed blanket or the like to the earth strata.
In many excavation situations, such in highway construction, the earth strata is disturbed and left exposed to the elements. In order to avoid or reduce erosion damage (e.g., soil erosion) to the earth strata (i.e., the ground), it is beneficial to provide promptly a layer of vegetation on the exposed earth strata. Sod, erosion control blankets or seed blankets have been ways to overlay the exposed earth strata to provide such a layer of vegetation.
Sod, erosion control blankets or seed blankets may come in a roll or strip or section. Since it is important to provide close physical contact between the earth strata and the sod, erosion control blanket or seed blanket, oftentimes the worker affixes the sod or erosion control blanket to the ground or earth strata using stakes or anchors. These stakes can metallic or non-metallic. In the case of a non-metallic stake, the stake can be of plastic or biodegradable material.
In a simplistic fashion, the worker has used a hammer to actually drive or pound the stake (provided the stake has a suitable geometry) through the sod, erosion control blanket or seed blanket and into the earth strata. While using a hammer has been effective to affix the sod, erosion control blanket or seed blanket to the earth strata, the continuous bending and hammering of the stakes can be wearisome to the worker. As an alternative to the use of a hammer, some have developed complex machinery to secure an erosion control blanket to the earth strata. U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,324 B2 to Nordloh and U.S. Pat. No. 7,351,016 B1 to Nordloh are patents that show exemplary complex machinery. Still another has used a magnetic head at the distal end of a handle such as shown in U.S. Published Patent Application No. US2006/0225342 A1 for an ANCHORING PIN INSERTION UNIT to Hamman. However, the device of Hamman appears to be only suitable to work with stakes that are magnetic, and hence, attachable to the magnetic head.
Thus, it becomes apparent that it would be desirable to provide a stake installation tool that is an improvement over the use of a hammer to install stakes into the earth strata, and yet, is not a complex machine. More specifically, it would be desirable to provide a stake installation tool that does not require the worker to bend over repeatedly to install the stake into the earth strata. It would be desirable to provide a stake installation tool that permits the worker to easily position the stake with reference to the tool prior to installation. It would be desirable to provide a stake installation tool that is simple to use. It would be desirable to provide a stake installation tool that can accommodate a variety of different kinds of stakes including metallic stakes (both magnetizable and non-magnetizable metallic stakes) and non-metallic stakes including without limitation plastic or biodegradable stakes. It would be desirable to provide a stake installation tool that the worker can repair easily in the field. It would be desirable to accomplish the above objectives without the need to use a complex piece of machinery.